Chinese coalminer sentenced to death for murdering man in pollution row

Worker is second to be given death sentence this month as government cracks down on coal industry in Inner Mongolia A court in China’s vast northern region of Inner Mongolia has sentenced a coalminer to death for killing a resident who had complained about pollution, according to state media. The sentence was the second in a matter of weeks involving Inner Mongolia’s crucial coal sector, as the government tries to get tough with an industry that has ignited public anger with its pollution but fuels the economy. In the latest case, Sun Shuning was convicted of murdering Yan Wenlong after “a dispute over pollution caused by a coalmine” where Sun worked, the official Xinhua news agency said. Sun killed Wen with his forklift, the report added. “The act was utterly cruel, the crime very serious, and the consequences extremely bad,” it cited the court in Xilinhot as saying. Earlier this month, a court in the same part of Inner Mongolia ordered the execution of a man for murdering an ethnic Mongolian herder who had also protested against coalmine pollution. The death of the herder sparked demonstrations by ethnic minority Mongolians demanding better protection of their rights and traditions. Beijing, ever worried by threats to stability, is now trying to address some of the protesters’ concerns about the damage done by coalmining to traditional grazing lands. The authorities have since launched a month-long overhaul of the lucrative coalmining industry, vowing to clean up or close polluters. Inner Mongolia is China’s biggest coal producing region and the protests against the industry have come as severe power shortages loom ahead of the summer’s peak energy season. China Coal Pollution guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 21, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.